Continuous strip pickling and cleaning apparatus



F. J. woon 2,320,499

CONTINUOUS STRIP PICKLNG AND CLEANING APPARATUS June l, 1943.

Filed Dec. 20. 1941 m'avme. J Wood' AT'T'CIE NEY Patented June 1, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS STRIP PICKLING AND CLEANING APPARATUS Frank J. Wood, Riverside, Ill., assignor to'Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application December 20, 1941, 'Serial No. 423,702

Claims. (ci. zes-7) a plurality of strips of metal. These troughs are usually arranged sidel by side and extend over and along a pickling tank, which receives pickling fluid from the ends of the troughs, where it settles and is recirculated through the troughs. This pickling trough arrangement is expensive and inflexible in that the maximum width of strip which can be pickled is limited to the Width of the narrow troughs.

A more specific object of my invention is to principal objects to overcome these deciencies by providing a detachable guide and centering means along a single pickling trough substan tially as wide as the pickling tank disposed therebeneath, which guide and centering means may be adjusted in accordance with the width of the metal pickled and may be so arranged as to guide a plurality of strips of metal through the pickling trough, side by side, or to guide one wide strip of metal through the same trough, by merely removing the centering guides.

A more specic object of my objection is to provide a simplified form of detachable centering guide for a pickling and cleaning trough, adjustable to permit the centering and guiding of various vwidths of metal through a single pickling trough.

Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and'with reference to the accompanying .drawing wherein:

plan view of thepickling trough, showing certain details of construction of the centering guides.

In the drawing, a portion only of a continuous strip pickling and cleaning device is shown. The part shown includes a trough I0 extending over a pickling tank- II, for receiving pickling iiuid discharged from the ends of said trough, where it is recirculated into said trough by means of a suitable motor driven pump I2. Pinch rolls indicated generally by reference character I3 are provided at the entering end of said trough, for pushing the metal therethrough, and squeegee and-scrubbing and brushing rolls indicated generally .by reference character are provided at the discharge end of saidtrough, for squeezing .pickling fluid from the metal and for washing and `brushing the metal and further pushing it through the system. Said pickling and cleaning device is of a type such as is generally illustrated and described in my-prior Patent No. 2,141,732, so will not herein be shown or described in detail except in so far as is necessary to make my present invention readily understandable.

The pickling a rectangular cross section and is provided with I suitable covers I5, I5 extending over the top thereof, to prevent the spilling of pickling fluid from said trough during the pickling operation (see Figure 2). Said pickling trough is preferably constructed from an acid risisting sheet material, such as stainless steel, and is provided with a plurality of parallel spaced blocks IG, I6, for supporting the metal above the bottom of the trough as it travels therealong. Said blocks are mounted on longitudinally spaced transversely extending shafts I1. I1, mounted on their ends in the sides of said pickling trough. Spacing collars I8, I8 are provided on said shafts, to space said blocks apart. Said blocks, as herein shown, each have an upper surface which is inclined upwardly from the forward end thereof at a gradual inclination and which terminates into a horizontal supporting portion. Said blocks may be made from any smooth material which will not scratchthe sheet metal as it is passing therethrough during the pickling operation, and are preferably made from an acid resisting smooth non-scratching plastic such as Haveg, but may be made from any other suitable plastic material, or may be made from glass or any other non-abrasive smooth material, if desired.

Referring now in particular to the novel form of guiding and centering means of my invention, for centering the strip-as it passes through the trough I0, as herein shown, is of vided in said sides ,(see'Figure 2).

pickling trough II), a plurality of centering guides I9, I9 are provided. Said guides, as shown in Figure 1, are spaced longitudinally along the pickling trough IIJ in laterally spaced relation with respect to each other, and are detachably mounted on the shafts I'I, I'I, to provide three passageways for the strip metal. It mayreadilybe understood, however, that said centering guides may be so arranged as to provide one or two passageways through said trough, or may be entirely removed from said trough, to permit metal of substantially the width of said trough to pass therethrough, if desired. Each of said centering guides extends from the bottom of the trough to the underside of the cover I5 and has a forward end portion of a ltrough as it passes therethrough, transversely substantially V- shapedfor'matiom the sides of which diverge from a common longitudinal central portion and which terminate into parallel spaced longitudinally extending side walls 2|, 2 I,

which-are connected together by a rear end wall 22- to form a guide with a substantially pointed forward end and with `parallel spaced sides disposed parallel to the sides 'of the trough I0. f A reinforcing'strip 23 extends across the vtop of said -side walls,v adjacent the transverse center of said-guide, for stiffening said guide.

A retaining piece 25 is placed within saidguide 'and extends across'the sides of the V-shaped forwardendv thereofadaptedto be slidably engaged with and over- Said retaining piece is lapped by' a retainingclip 2|,-secured to the bottom of the trough'J-III and :having an engaging end spaced upwardly from-.the bottom of said trough, `wliich engages--thetopof thepiecel, for holdingfthe front end-'of' said` centering guide from upward movement during the centering opera- 'tion.

Slots 29, 29 opening towards the bottoms of the sides 2 I 2| of the" centering guides I9, I9 are pro- Said 4slots extend longitudinally forwardly from the open portion thereof and terminate into an arcuate for- Ward end adapted to fit over one of the collars I8,

for holding the rear end of said centering guide in position. Reinforcing members 3|, 3| extend along said'slotted portions from the forward part 'of the open portion thereof around the arcuate portion.thereof and upwardly along the top portion thereof,'to increase the bearing area'in engagement with said spacing collars.

The centering guides I9,- I9 may thus be readilyattached to the bottom of the pickling trough II) at various desired positions therealong, by

' ypassing the open portions of the slots 29, 29 over the collars I`8, I8, until said centering guides engage the bottom of said trough. Each centering guide may then be pushed in a rearward direction until said collars engage the vreinforcing members 3|, 3I extending around the forward ends of theslots 29, 29 and the retaining clip 21 engages the top of the retaining piece 25. This provides a simplified form of guide means which y mjay`readil'y be attached to a pickling trough at various points therealong, to guide strips of varying lwidths Vor to guide more than one strip of metal through a single'trough, without necessitating the provision of a separate trough for each strip of metal.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be-altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be extending shafts spaced along said pickling trough forming a mounting for said blocks i n said Vpickling trough, and means adjustably mounted on the bottom of said pickling trough for guiding a plurality of strips of metal therethrough in side by side relationship including a plurality of centering guide members detachably mounted lforming va means for detachably connecting said construed as limiting my invention to the specific 75 guide to the bottom of the pickling trough. f

3. A centering guiding arrangement adapted to guide'a plurality of strips of metal through a pickling trough including al plurality of laterally spaced guide members spaced along the pickling trough and adapted to be detachably mounted on the bottom thereof, each of said guide members having a pair of parallel spaced side walls converging towards each other at their forward ends. said side walls being longitudinally slotted and having a portion thereof opening towards the ground and said slotted portions forming a means for detachably connecting said guide to the bottom of the pickling trough, a retaining piece eX- tending across the inside of the forward end of each guide member, and a clip on the bottom of said trough adapted to engage said retaining piece to hold the forward end of said guide member from vertical displacement.

4. In a continuous strip pickling and cleaning apparatus, a pickling trough through which the strip metal is adapted to pass during the pickling operation, a plurality of parallel spaced transversely extending shafts extending along said trough, a plurality of laterally spaced blocks mounted on said shafts and forming a means for supporting the metal above the bottom of said trough as it passes therethrough, a plurality of guide members detachably mounted on said shafts for guiding a'plurality of strips of metal along said blocks and through said trough, each of said guide members having a pair of parallel spaced side walls converging towards each other at their forward ends, and saidside walls being longitudinally slotted and said slotted portions each having a rear portion opening towards the ground to fit over said shafts so said guides can be lockingly engaged with said shafts by moving said guides rearwardly with respect to said shafts.

5. In a continuous strip pickling and cleaning apparatus, a pickling trough through. which the strip metal is adapted to pass during the pickling opration, a plurality of parallel spaced transversely extending shafts extending along said trough, near the bottom thereof, a plurality of laterally spaced blocks mounted on said shafts and forming a means for supporting the metal above the bottom of said trough as it passes therethrough, a plurality of guide members adapted to be detachably mounted on said shafts, for guiding a plurality of strips of metal along said blocks and through said trough. each of said guide members having a pair of parallel spaced side walls and said slotted portions each having a rear portion opening towards the ground and adapted to fit over said shafts so said guide members can be lockingly engaged with said shafts by moving said guides rearwardly with respect to said shafts. a retaining piece extending across the inside of the forward end of each guide member, and a clip on the bottom of said trough adapted to engage said retaining piece to hold the forward end of said converging towards each other at their forward 10 guide member from vertical displacement.

ends, said side walls being longitudinally slotted FRANK J. WOOD.

CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,52o,h,99. June I, 19LI5.

- FRANK J. woon.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent reduirn'g Correction as follows: Page l, first column, line 22, for A more specific object of my invention is to read --The device of my present invention has as its; line 3h., for objection read -inVention--; second column, line 5l, for "risisting" read --resistingu; page 2, second column, line 22, for "throuah" read -through; and

that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of June, A. D. 19115.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents, 

